ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — of law
  3. content — the amount
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — in music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. key — the most important part
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. board — to get on
  17. bat — the animal
  18. court — of a king
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. board — a committee
  21. date — the fruit
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wake — a trail
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com